Photo: Chief Executive Officer of Port Moresby General Hospital, Dr Paki Molumi and Kumul Petroleum Managing Director Wapu Sonk share a light moment following the official opening of the Kumul Petroleum National Heart Centre by Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal who unveiled a plaque commemorating the occasion
Every year, hundreds of Papua New Guinean’s will require life-saving heart procedures as lifestyle related disease and coronary heart disease is among the top ten common cause of admission at the Port Moresby General Hospital.
Today, Papua New Guinea’s largest referral hospital, Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) officially opens a fully equipped 30 beds cardiac ward with 6 self-contained private rooms that will provide Papua New Guineans specialised medical treatment that was once unavailable in-country given the lack of clinical specialists, equipment, drugs and consumables.
With the support from the Government of Papua New Guinea and Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited (Kumul Petroleum) through a tri-partite agreement between the National Department of Health (NDOH), PMGH and Kumul Petroleum, who as Papua New Guinea’s national oil and gas company allocated K50 million to improve cardiac services within the country; this will be a thing of the past as Papua New Guineans receive life-saving heart procedures such as stenting and angiograms at the Kumul Petroleum National Heart Centre.
Dr Paki Molumi, Chief Executive Officer of Port Moresby General Hospital said at the official opening that in recognition of the enormous contribution which makes a direct impact of the lives of Papua New Guineans, the Board of PMGH named the cardiac center the “ Kumul Petroleum National Heart Centre” .
Managing Director of Kumul Petroleum Wapu Sonk said that Papua New Guinea’s national oil and gas company was honoured by the recognition of the Board of PMGH and said Kumul Petroleum is very proud to be associating itself with Papua New Guinea’s largest referral hospital in the area of Cardiac Surgery and specialist care that our country has been lacking for a long time.
“When we signed the MOA in 2020, and thereafter I iterated that the Board of Kumul Petroleum is very committed to see the spending of the K50 million funding support that we committed, on the right equipment in developing the right skills, and in making sure, the services delivered at the right price to our people.
“I am pleased to note from what Dr Molumi has said that this vision has become a reality. Through this partnership with PMGH and NDOH, Papua New Guineans will no longer spend on average up to K200, 000.00-K250, 000.00 to receive the lifesaving cardiac catheterization and stenting procedures they needed to travel overseas for specialist medical care. Since, the first stenting procedure, witnessed by Kumul Petroleum Trustee, Prime Minister Hon. James Marape on 22 July 2021, Papua New Guineans have received this procedure for free then subsequently at a fraction of the cost as of 28 January this year, saving citizens on average 95-96 percent of what will have been spent if they travelled overseas. Today, an angiogram alone and stenting services combined may cost a maximum of K2, 500.00 - K10, 000.00.”
“Today’s official opening goes to prove that with joint cooperation with national companies and government partnership is the way forward to realise tangible benefits for our people. Today, celebrates a major policy achievement not only for us as a company, or Port Moresby General Hospital; but for us as a nation following 47 years of Independence where a national facility is funded by our people with returns from investments of our natural resources, equipped, and led by our national staff and doctors.”
Minister for Health and HIV/AIDS Hon. Jelta Wong acknowledged the positive results of the partnership by the National Department of Health, PMGH and Kumul Petroleum; praising all parties to the MOA for the achievements thus far, and the opening of the Kumul Petroleum National Heart Centre.
Dr Molumi added that further improvements under the cardiac program supported by Kumul Petroleum, are the cardiac outpatient or non-invasive cardiac outpatient which is completed and fully equipped with some of the latest and quality cardiac equipment. They include, Electro cardiogram machines, Echo machines and treadmill machines for stress test ready to be used after this opening. Under the arrangement Kumul Petroleum pays for the equipment which is chosen by the end-users. This has allowed for the purchase of quality branded medical equipment which is available in any modern hospital.
Plans are under way to build an operation theatre complex which will have a specialized cardiac theatre. The cardiac operation theatre once built will complete the cardiac program from Diagnostic Services at the non-invasive cardiac outpatient, Invasive Cardiac Services at the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and coronary care unit and admissions to the cardiac ward. This means PMGH will be able provide the full cardiac services from Diagnostic to Cardiac Catheterization and cardiac surgery. That will be replicated to the rest of the country.
The Kumul Petroleum National Heart Centre was officially opened by Her Royal Highness, Princess Royal while on a tour of Papua New Guinea on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II on her Platinum Jubilee.
Article courtesy of Kumul Petroleum
